Quick Screening May Help Spot Autism in Babies

A brief checklist that parents can fill out while waiting to see their child's pediatrician may aid in diagnosing autism earlier, new research suggests.

Researchers recruited 137 pediatricians in the San Diego area to give parents of 1-year-olds a 24-question screening test to fill out before seeing the doctor. The test was designed to detect general communication delays, not specifically autism, a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by language and social deficits and repetitive behaviors.

"I wanted to change clinical practice in San Diego, to give pediatricians a simple tool to catch cases of autism and other disorders and get these kids into treatment earlier," said Karen Pierce, an assistant professor in the department of neurosciences at University of California San Diego and assistant director of the UCSD Autism Center of Excellence. Early treatment is known to improve outcomes, she said.

More evidence links diabetes, Parkinsons disease

People with diabetes may be more likely to also develop Parkinson's disease - and this seems particularly true for younger patients, a new study suggests.

The findings, published online by the journal Diabetes Care, add to evidence linking diabetes and Parkinson's. One recent report said that U.S. adults with diabetes had a slightly higher risk of developing Parkinson's over a 15-year period, compared to nondiabetics.

Neither study, however, proves that diabetes itself causes Parkinson's.